Mr. Speaker. I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable Floridian. Alec Courtelis. who died last month at the age of 68. Alecs life defined the American success story. He came to America as a 20yearold Greek immigrant and persevered to achieve great success as a Florida developer. breeder of Arabian racehorses. chairman of the board of regents. and as a major player in the national political arena. As a teenager growing up in Alexandria. Egypt. Alec watched John Wayne movies and dreamed of one day moving to America. At 20. he was accepted to the University of Miami and traveled 7.000 miles across the Mediterranean and Atlantic to begin life in a country that would not inhibit his hopes and aspirations.
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